Publication date Mar 29, 2023

"Replanting" your thoughts

Publication date Mar 29, 2023

In my new home, I enjoyed my first opportunity to plant a small garden. Dear friends came by specifically to help me with this, as I definitely don't have a green thumb! Their expert eyes saw that the plants I'd put out so far were completely in the wrong place. They told me that shade plants in full sun are at the mercy of the heat and won't flourish. Gratefully, my friends moved the plants to appropriate places, and now the garden is completely transformed! Every plant is in its proper place where it can bloom.

friend, I know it can be gratifying to hear people say, "It's because of your environment that you can't thrive." But the truth is…we often can have a role to play in this, too.

Have you planted yourself in the wrong place through your thought patterns? Instead of being able to hope in God's promises (see 2 Corinthians 1:20), look forward to the rest He wants to give you (see Psalm 62:2), hold fast to your future hope in Him (see Jeremiah 29:11), and abide in the proof of His great love (see John 3:16), perhaps you're still hanging on to hopelessness, restlessness, negative thoughts about your future, and self-doubt.   

Maybe it's time for you to be "replanted" in God's truths about you! David recognized how valuable our environment is when he wrote, "I long to dwell in Your tent forever and take refuge in the shelter of Your wings." (Psalm 61:4, NIV) https://www.bible.com/bible/111/PSA.61.4.NIV 

Now that my plants are in the right places, not only are they doing better, they're also giving joy to others because they look so beautiful.

friend, I encourage you to take this step: choose to "replant" your thoughts! When you concentrate on God's light, the lies will disappear by themselves. "…In Your light we see light." (Psalm 36:9, NKJV)  

You are a miracle!

Deborah Rosenkranz
Author

Singer-songwriter and author, but especially Jesus' biggest fan!